Dear DC,
I hope you had a wonderful 50th birthday! Turning 50 is indeed something to celebrate — both from the chronological standpoint and from the astrologically significant Chiron Return, of which you are in the process until January 2014. It is not unusual that you are in the midst of sorting through some career matters at this time. The Chiron Return marks a time of self-reflection, renewed understanding of past issues and wounds, and offers the gift to move forward with greater self-acceptance. If your career hasn’t been “true” for the past while, if it has been stuck in some patterns that have been hurtful to you, the Chiron Return process could help heal that.
For some people, the Chiron Return marks a time of understanding one’s ancestry. A number of people, in fact, become fascinated in their family tree at this time. Their are a couple indications that home/family/parents will be on your mind in December, around Christmastime, and then again in May 2014. (In both periods, transiting Saturn will making a conjunction to the IC of your chart, and transiting Jupiter squares Venus, ruler of the MC.) My first inkling would be to suggest that you may not have time to deal with career matters because your attention needs to be focused on home and family. On the other hand, this could signify that it is time to work from home.
Back to the family tree thing… When people feel they are drifting in regards to career, sometimes a study of one’s family tree can make a person feel, “I know where I come from, so now I have a better sense of where I’m going”. We no longer live in a time where it is expected that the family business is passed down from one generation to the next. But there is often something to be said about the genetic “career coding” that we inherit from our ancestors. It’s worth putting some consideration into that, especially at this time of your Chiron Return.
A few career themes seem to recur when looking at your natal chart. Venus in Libra rules the Taurus Midheaven of your chart and is placed in the 2nd house. The Sun, your chart ruler, is also in Libra in the 2nd house. This is a strong suggestion that there is something about values and the fairness of values that is important to you. It can also be interpreted that your appreciate the esthetics of your environment — that people and things need to be harmonious. These traits are likely to be noticed in your line of work if not in your life in general.
Venus (MC ruler) opposes Jupiter in Aries in the 8th house. Here is a statement of “my values vs. your values”. The strong Libra presence in your chart as well as this 2nd-8th house opposition tells a story of you being a mediator. You are blessed with the ability to understand both sides of a conflict. The Venus-Jupiter opposition is supported by Saturn in Aquarius in the 6th. Something about rules for the collective in the workplace comes to mind. Do you find yourself having to negotiate matters on behalf of others frequently? This could be a facet of your career.
I’d like to bring Mercury into the picture now. Mercury rules the 2nd house, where both your Sun and Venus reside. Mercury at 21° Virgo forms the tightest aspect to the MC of your chart, suggesting that your career could indeed be something under Mercury’s realm. Mercury rules things like communication, teaching, speaking, writing, sales, commerce, and marketing. Mercury is in a very strong placement in the sign of Virgo, so your skills in the above should be quite developed with a keen sense of precision. You’d likely be a great person to handle the fine details of any situation. Mercury opposes the Moon in Pisces, so your rational mind may be challenged sometimes by your intuition. You need to honour both sides, and sometimes it might be tricky to come up with a valid reason to believe or not to believe something simply because you have a gut feeling about it. Allow yourself your reasoning ability and allow yourself your gut feelings. It may be surprising how many times they actually do say the same thing!
There is another reason why both Mercury and Venus are relevant in your career, and that is because your MC is on the midpoint of the two. Now comes the astrological game of “pairing” these two planetary energies. Think about ways you can involve those Mercury words (communication, writing, sales, etc.) with words having to do with Venus: beauty, harmony, balance, attraction, partnership, the physical senses, art, money. You may find a career that resonates well with you from this little activity. Here are some I’ve come up with: being an art teacher; writing a column giving financial advice; being a singer; being a commercial artist; selling clothing. Do play with the word combinations and see what comes up!
The fact that the MC trines Mercury in Virgo and squares Saturn in the 6th tells of a possible career in health care or business management. Being in charge of how a business organization operates would likely bring satisfaction. You’d be great at managing the data, the people, the rules. Yes, there is something very strong about your ability to influence others in a way that brings people on board. With Saturn in the 6th, this could suggest that you work with seniors; if we bring the health-care scenario into the picture, this could mean a career working to secure the rights of seniors to get affordable medical care.
In January 2014, Solar Arc Directed Ascendant makes a conjunction with Venus, the ruler of your Midheaven. This is one indication of a new career at this time. (The exact date is January 21. Often things happen very close to the exact date of a Solar Arc Directed planet or point.) The Progressed Moon moves into the 6th house just two days later, suggesting that the focus of your attention will be on new routines for the next couple years.
Today, in fact, and right through early December, there is greater potential for you to be in the presence of new career opportunities. (Transiting Jupiter forms a sextile with your MC.) These opportunities are likely to come through friends and social groups, so now is a good time to go to networking events! Talk to as many people as you can.
Another thing to note is that your progressed Ascendant is now in a conjunction with your natal Sun. This marks an important time where your approach to the world is in sync with your inner sense of purpose. You exude an energy that attracts situations and environments allowing you to be your most creative and authentic self. What a great time to begin a satisfying career! This, by the way, should last all of 2014 with a particular intensity in the spring.
Please do let me know how the process is going. Best wishes again for your birthday!
Toby